Heat Tolerant Vegetables

Heat Tolerant Vegetables

Heat-tolerant” and “drought-tolerant” vegetables do best in hot and dry climate. Humidity, especially warm, humid nights, can lead to fungal diseases, so it’s also good to look for disease resistance vegetables. We have selected this list of vegetables because they continue producing even during periods of extreme heat, humidity and drought.

First released in 1909 by H. Hartmann & Company, this historic Danish cabbage has earned its reputation as a dependable garden classic and a benchmark for many modern varieties. It forms dense, well-wrapped heads measuring about 6–8" across and weighing 3–4 pounds, making it an excellent choice for smaller gardens. Plants mature quickly, adapt well to a wide range of growing conditions, and show strong resistance to splitting. Once harvested, the firm heads store exceptionally well—often lasting up to six months—adding to the long-standing appeal of this time-tested heirloom.

The Iran Winter Squash is a large and pumpkin-like squash. This 50 plus pound squash has a silver green to salmon orange exterior. The ornamental Iran is drought and heat tolerant making it perfect for fall decorations. These squashes can be stored for more than a year!

The Lucullus Swiss Chard produces highly nutritious leaves from early spring until the first hard freeze in the fall. This variety produces great during the summer heat. This chard is a very popular variety grown throughout the United States.

The Rich Sweetness is a very petite little melon that typically stays the size of a baseball! These little melons usually do not exceed a quarter pound. The inner flesh is a smooth creamy white and is very juicy! These melons live up to their name and are very aromatic. Rich Sweetness' flavor is reminiscent of honeydew and cantaloupe.

The Trip-L-Crop Tomato is an extremely long and productive heirloom tomato plant variety that thrives in a greenhouse setting! This tomato produces huge yields on a 15 foot vine that needs a trellising. The large 1-2 lb. tomatoes are red, meaty and great for canning.

The Moneymaker Tomato is a terrific, high yielding heirloom that produces delicious, bright red and smooth fruits that are perfect for fresh eating. This variety's vine can grow to 5-6' and produce very heavy yields of 4-6 ounce fruits. This tasty heirloom tomato does well in hot humid climates and greenhouse growing. The Moneymaker originates from England and produces vigorous vines that should be staked for best results.

Long, ribbed, dark green fruits grow up to 18 inches and offer a mild, sweet, burpless flavor—one of our favorites for fresh eating. This productive and eye-catching heirloom from northern China produces heavy yields on vigorous 5' vines. A parthenocarpic variety, it sets fruit without pollinators, making it an excellent choice for greenhouse growing. Expect tender, crisp cucumbers with thin skin and few seeds. Trellis for straighter fruit. Heat tolerant and disease resistant, it’s a dependable and delicious addition to any garden.

The Orient Wonder bean is a white seeded yard-long bean with tender pods. This type of pole bean is sometimes called asparagus or yard-long bean. Popular in warm and humid areas, where plants are vigorously vining. Extra-long, slender pods are slow to form seeds, resulting in more tender beans that can be harvested over an extended period. Orient Wonder is popular for specialty and ethnic markets and superior to standard strains due to its ability to set in cooler climates.

The Outredegeous Lettuce is a deep, dark purple red romaine that will maintain its dark color even under low-light conditions! This mesmerizing variety is a wonderful baby leaf type and large loose leaf type, making it the perfect lettuce for salad growers. You can start using its leaves after 28 days. Outredegeous seeds are a natural mix of black and white.

An early maturing heirloom cabbage. Early Jersey Wakefield is an early variety of cabbage with pointed heads that resist splitting! A great home garden cabbage with great flavor!

Waltham 29 broccoli seeds produce a classic, open-pollinated variety that was developed in the early 20th century by the University of Massachusetts at Waltham and has remained a trusted garden standard ever since. This variety forms large, deep blue-green central heads measuring 6–8" across on sturdy, cold-tolerant plants that typically reach 20–24" tall. Known for its reliability and adaptability, Waltham 29 performs especially well in cooler temperatures and is valued for its uniform growth and strong side-shoot production after the main head is harvested, resulting in generous yields over an extended period. It matures in about 74–85 days from transplant, making it well suited for spring and fall planting. The tightly packed florets have a tender texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor, excellent for fresh eating, steaming, freezing, and a wide range of culinary uses.

The Little Caesar Lettuce is a very attractive tall romaine type with crisp, bright green outer leaves and golden-blanched inner leaves. This lettuce has a sweet, crunchy flavor that is delicious on any sandwich or salad. This variety is easy to grow and is perfect for smaller gardens. Little Caesar is best picked right before eating.